Why are you upset about transgenders using public school restrooms?

In light of the recent government mandate concerning transgender bathroom use at public schools, I have one question. Why do you still send your kids to public schools? I could add to that, what will it take for you to withdraw them?

With all that has happened over the last few decades, I can complain a lot about public schools. There is the faltering quality of education. (We are barely in the top 15 nations in the world as it relates to education. Singapore is ranked 10 spots higher than the US. Most Americans don’t even know where Singapore is.) There is the removal of prayer and Bible reading. There is the evolutionary worldview. There is the homosexual agenda and perverse sex-ed. Now the transgender bathroom issue. How far is too far?

I grow weary with Christians who are constantly griping and complaining about how bad the public school system is yet continue to send their children there. Parents complain about not being able to opt their children out of objectionable classes. Newsflash! You can! You can opt out of the whole thing! There are many, many options for educating your children apart from the public school system.

I homeschool my kids. The reasons I do so are many, but the primary reason is that God has commanded me to teach my children to love Him and keep His commandments. I am to do this at all hours of the day (Deuteronomy 6). My child’s education is my responsibility. I know that many people will not homeschool their children, but you should definitely withdraw your children from the public school system or do something to fix it. My purpose in writing this is not to denigrate parents or teachers, but to encourage and empower parents to think through the education of their children.

Why should you withdraw your children from government run schools?

They are your children, not wards of the state

Let this sink in. Your children belong to God, and He has entrusted them to you. Their minds, bodies, and souls have been entrusted by God to you. You have been given a tremendous responsibility by God. Embrace it. God would not have entrusted those children to you if He was not able and willing to equip you to educate them for their thriving. As your child’s parent you have the God-given right, responsibility, and authority to direct their education. In fact, God has commanded you in the Bible to teach your children (Deuteronomy 6, Ephesians 6, etc.)

Education does not belong to Caesar (neither do your children)

We are to render to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and God that which belongs to Him. Our children bear the image of God, not Caesar. God authorizes government to levy certain taxes and punish evil. He does not give to the state the order or authority to educate children. That command is directed to parents. Quit complaining because the government is doing a poor job of educating your child or protecting your child from bullying and abuse. That is not the government’s job! It’s yours.

Your unconverted five year old will not be salt and light

Many people are concerned that if Christians withdraw their children from public schools that they are failing to be salt and light. Please explain to me how an unconverted child who can barely say the alphabet is going to convert the teacher with a master’s degree that you told your child to listen to, respect, and obey. It will not happen. Even if your child is converted there are other ways to be salt and light then risking the mind, body, and soul of your child.

You can support the teachers and kids in your community without risking your child

It is a false dichotomy that you either put your children in public schools or fail to reach your community. My church has had many public school teachers in it over the years. Most of them do not want their children in the very schools they taught your children in. My Grandma taught in the public school system and told my dad that she did not want her grandchildren to attend the school where she taught (this was thirty years ago.) Christian teachers know how godless and harmful it can be. However, these teachers need your encouragement to share the Gospel and reach their students. You can volunteer as a tutor or in other ways. You can do what our church has done. We have adopted a government housing project. We feed, clothe, and tutor the children from that housing project all while sharing the Gospel with them. You can do many things that do not involve putting your child at risk.

Your options are many

You have more options for the education of your children than you realize. In Florida you can home school your child for free using the online public education system. There are private schools. There are Christian schools. There are private tutors. Your retired parents can educate your children. However, the best option is you as a parent taking charge of your child’s well-being, including their education.

I am a firm believer in homeschooling, and I think that that is the best method of education for children. However, even if you do not share that conviction, would you please stop complaining about how poor a school is while still sending your child there? Would you stop complaining about how your child’s safety is going to be compromised when they use the restroom and instead actually take action to protect your child?

I close with two quotes:

“Education is thus a most powerful ally of humanism and every American public school is a school of humanism. What can the theistic Sunday schools meeting for an hour once a week and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?”

– Charles Potter

“Your children will go to public school and they will be trained for somewhere around 15,000 hours in ungodly secular thought. And then they’ll go to Sunday school and they’ll color a picture of Noah’s ark. And you think that’s going to stand against the lies that they are being told?”